In this election year, a lot will be said about how we elect our president and legislators. As usual, there will be talk about term limits for congressmen, as well as ditching the electoral college in favor of a direct popular election.

Come November, there are almost sure to be some allegations of vote tampering and election fixing (at least in Chicago, if nowhere else!).

Even if you are not really interested in politics, it’s still pretty safe to say that between now and November, you will have at least a few conversations about the election. In preparation for those discussions, remember what St. Paul said in Romans 13:1, “The authorities that exist have been established by God.”

Amidst all the political commentary that an election brings, God’s people ought to know and keep in mind what the Lord says about these things. No matter what process we use to select our rulers, no matter how corrupt the whole thing may seem to us, no matter what the outcome, the truth of that passage from Romans remains firm  God is the one who puts people in power.

It makes no difference whether we are living in America or Afghanistan. It makes no difference whether we are ruled by kings or congressman  “the authorities that exist have been established by God.”

This truth is worth pondering as we watch the events of this fall unfold. How can God accomplish his purposes in spite of all the political ambitions that clog the system? What purpose does he have in mind?

This truth is worth sharing with others, because by doing so, we make confession of our own belief that “every word of God is flawless” (Proverbs 30:5).

Voters and candidates alike will protest an unfair election. Yet, in a sense, every election is fixed  fixed by God to accomplish His will for our world.